The biggest upsets in the opening month of the Premier League season

(Stock Photo ID: 2449666589)

The Premier League’s return for the 2024/25 season has made a spectacular start. England’s top flight is known for its world-class talent, and a mix of high-intensity and thrilling matches, but with a lot of fans criticised that the game has become overly tactical, the first month of Premier League betting was filled with stunning strikes and plenty of drama.

Every new season brings fresh anticipation, with clubs looking to either defend their crown, fight for European spots, or survive relegation. This season’s opening month has once again delivered on the action, with some unexpected results.

While Manchester City remain the frontrunners for the title, Liverpool and Arsenal are also eager to mount strong challenges for the second year running. But as we’ve seen so often in the Premier League, nothing is guaranteed. Upsets can happen at both ends of the table, keeping the competition unpredictable throughout a busy nine months.

On any given day, any team can beat another, no matter their position in the league, and that has been demonstrated in this season’s infancy. In this article, we take a look at the biggest upsets in the early stages of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

Leicester City 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

In an inspired performance, newly promoted Leicester City held Tottenham to a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium on a tense Monday Night Football clash.

Despite Spurs dominating the first half, Pedro Porro’s opener was cancelled out by a second-half header from Jamie Vardy, who scored with the Foxes' first shot on target. T

Tottenham’s £65m signing Dominic Solanke missed several key chances, and Leicester grew in confidence as the game progressed, nearly snatching all three points after the lacklustre defending that has defined Ange Postecoglou’s tenure in north London since his arrival.

Vardy came close to winning it but was denied by a brilliant save from Guglielmo Vicario. The result was a crucial point for Leicester as they continue to prove doubters wrong.

Following their successful appeal against a potential points deduction for an alleged breach of Premier League Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules, Leicester now have a clear path ahead as they look to build on that point under Steve Cooper.

Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Manchester United

Joao Pedro’s 95th-minute winner for Brighton secured a dramatic victory over Manchester United, preserving their perfect start to the season, having gone on to draw against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Former United striker Danny Welbeck gave Brighton the lead early on, while Alejandro Garnacho’s late strike for United was ruled out by VAR.

This set the stage for Pedro to head home Simon Adingra’s cross in stoppage time, sealing all three points for Brighton.

New manager Fabian Hurzeler continues to impress, silencing early doubts with his strong start. Meanwhile, former Brighton standout Billy Gilmour put in a solid display on his last outing for the Seagulls. The Scot will now benefit Antonio Conte’s Napoli side after his summer move to Italy.

Bournemouth 3-2 Everton

In what could be one of the games of the season, Bournemouth pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park.

The Toffees were poised for their first win of the season after goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put them 2-0 up.

However, Bournemouth staged an extraordinary turnaround, scoring three times in the final nine minutes. Antoine Semenyo’s late goal gave the visitors hope before Lewis Cook scored deep into stoppage time.

Just when it seemed like the game would end in a draw, Luis Sinisterra’s header from a Justin Kluivert cross in the dying moments sealed the victory. Everton’s late collapse left them rooted to the bottom of the table, while the Cherries celebrated a win that will live long in their fans' memories.